Comments regarding Bluestone Perennials

Posted on June 28, 2013, updated October 22, 2013
Posted on June 19, 2013, updated June 28, 2013
This year marks the last time I order from Bluestone. There are some things that I don't mind - the coir pots, even getting 1 plant when you used to get 3. But what I do mind, and mind enough to take my business elsewhere - is the price paid for what you actually get.

I order from their 50% off sale every year. And even 50% off is too much to pay for the plant that you receive. Maybe if it's harder to come by, one doesn't mind paying $7 for what amounts to a tiny stick, but paying that for something one could procure at a big box store for $5.99 that is literally 5x the size? (recently came across a bunch, that was kind of a sinking feeling). I just can't do it any more.

Looking back at all my orders for what amounts to dozens of different plants, I can't recall even one of them standing out as impressing me as to its size and quality upon receiving. Looking out at my gardens, many of those plants - all perennials - died. Even their replacements. While I am an experienced gardener that enjoys nurturing a plant and watching it grow, after making all the correct efforts in planting it the first time around (light, soil conditions, etc), one thing I don't have time for is babying something that arrives barely a grade above a plug/liner. One shouldn't have to for that price - even at 50% off.

I ordered about a dozen shrubs in my order this year. 2 of them arrived basically DOA (no longer in stock so a refund was issued), 1 went into the ground, and the other 9 have been potted and I am babying them along for the summer before I can even think about planting them in the ground. Out of the echinaceas, 2 were plugs that had been uprooted in transit (even their packaging could not secure these, they were so small). Their replacements won't arrive until the end of August.

Their customer service is top-notch, but one reaches a point where one just doesn't want to call and complain any more.

Before writing this review, I stopped myself and stepped back and did the old, "Is is me?" before posting it. I buy a lot of plants, both in-person and through mail order. My expectations are not extraordinarily high because I base them on pretty much a rolling average of all experiences. Have I received plants from other companies in worse condition or much smaller? Of course. Have I received worse customer service? Or course. Hence my neutral rating. To some, Bluestone is exactly what they need and never disappoints. To me, I just can't justify the price with what I actually receive. Not any more.

"On Jun 28, 2013 3:30 PM, Bluestone Perennials responded with:

If you will be in touch with our office, we will refund your purchase price. We apologize that our plants have not worked out for you."

I've been very pleased with everything I've ordered from Bluestone. they ship quickly, the coir pots are great, and though the plants arent giant, they really do establish much more quickly than would a larger, pot-bound specimen. By the end of the summer the plants have tripled ( at least ) in size and are thriving! Highly recommended.

I just received my order from Bluestone Perennials. It was my very first order from them but sure won't be the last. The plants were much larger than I expected and in just perfect condition; what ingenious packaging! Love the Coco Pots too; planting these without disturbing the roots will be a cinch. I couldn't be more pleased with my order and I highly recommend this company to anyone wanting the very best!

I have been ordering from Bluestone Perennials for the last 4 years. My perennial gardens (shade and sun) are comprised almost exclusively of Bluestone plants and I've only lost one and that was due to my dog digging it up repeatedly. My last experience ordering was the spring 50% off sale. When some plants didn't arrive (and weren't listed as sold out) I contacted customer service. I wasn't happy with the 1st response from them and let them know it. Pat, in the Cust. Serv. office took great pains to make it right. Fantastic, prompt response! The hosta I did order is doing beautifully, as are the salvia. The coir pots seem to do well if you rip and loosen the bottoms prior to planting. I love Bluestone's variety, online plant finder, thorough and clear instructions and plant information. It is a great site for a rank beginner (as I was 4 years ago) as well as an experienced gardener. I have tried other online sites but never had the success I've had with the Bluestone plants.

I made my first purchase here during their last 50% off sale. I had purchased several widows tears, some astilbes, and a few heuchera.
The plants all arrived in some of the largest boxes I have ever seen plants shipped in, but everything was intact and healthy. The coconut husk pots take some getting used to, and I let then soak in some water for an hour before planting. Considering how well they retain water I suspect it's the only reason the plants haven't dried out and died in this heat yet. For those complaining they don't decompose properly, I've noticed a light mulching on top of the pots helps.
I was a tad worried about the astilbes, they turned brown and withered a week after planting, but I noticed today that they're coming around and starting to bounce back.
All in all, I'm quite happy with my purchase and will continue to buy from them next year.

Posted on May 8, 2013, updated June 11, 2013
Posted on May 14, 2008, updated May 8, 2013
I received my very first order from Bluestone Perennials today, and I'm a little disappointed. I did take advantage of their recent sale, and most of those sale items look great, BUT I also ordered a viola (Etain) at $15 for 3 that is in just awful shape. It looks like something you'd find in a clearance bin in mid-July! All yellow and spindly with no blooms.. very disappointing. I love violas and was so excited to have this unique plant, but that excitement has turned to disgust. I have written to Bluestone to ask for a refund for this particular item, but have not heard back. If I do receive a response and refund I'll gladly change this to a neutral, but I really wish they'd not bother sending out these spent plants, especially at these prices!

Posted on May 20, 2012, updated June 11, 2013
I returned to Bluestone after having abandoned them a number of years ago, thinking that they had become too big and their delivered plants too small and insecurely packaged. I was very pleased to receive large, healthy specimens in a timely manner, package it a box with dividers fitted as if tailored to the plants. Bodes well.

I have recently made 2 orders with Bluestone Perinneals and although not perfect I am pleased with the vast majority of plants and my dealings with the company.

I ordered 4 All Gold Bleeding Hearts. The packaging is well thought out to protect the plants. They all looked well and were planted immediately. For some reason 1 died immediately but the other 3 are doing well. After contacting Bluestone I was given an immediate credit, charging the cost back to my credit card. They were out of All Gold Bleeding Heart.

My 2nd order was 3 Gaillardia (Arizona Sun, Arizona Red Shades, Oranges and Lemons), and a Patriot Hosta. All of the plants were packaged well and in good health. They are doing well.

Posted on June 11, 2011, updated June 8, 2013
I wish there was a "splendid!" rating. I started gardening when I purchased my house 9 years ago and have been shopping with Bluestone since then. I LOVE that they grow their own plants.
In all these years and my many orders, only one plant in one threepack was unsatisfactory. I didn't request replacement because in that same order I received 2 free threepacks as premiums. I LOVE sales and coupons.
I'm sure they would've replaced it though, as the only two times I needed to contact customer service in 9 years I found the representatives to be professional, helpful and friendly.
Shipping is prompt and reasonable. In fact, last fall I took advantage of a bulb clearance sale and--I swear--I got up from the computer and walked to the front door and the box was on the porch already!
As long as I keep finding a square foot of free space, I will remain a happy loyal Bluestone customer.

Posted on April 25, 2013, updated June 8, 2013
Posted on June 1, 2012, updated April 25, 2013
Posted on May 7, 2012, updated June 1, 2012
Posted on November 2, 2011, updated May 7, 2012
I ordered 4 plants on 10-31-11 and received them 11-02-11. Very fast shipping and plants are fairly small but not unusual prices for starter plants. I noticed the good packing and soil was still moist. I have never gotten Coconut fiber pots before. Hope they work out because it's good for the environment. Millions of these plastic pots end up on the landfills.
See pictures on the Hosta forum. ( Mail order experiences good or bad ) Thank You!

This is my second purchase, in 2013 with this company.The first was a gift, and the intended receiver was very happy with the plants.
For the second one, I am enjoying the same experience. The plants were well protected and made the transit in the Southern heat. ALL the plants were healthy.

I placed my first order with this company recently. I was impressed with the size of the plants, however two of them were damaged in transit due to crammed packaging, etc. I notified customer service via email. After about a week they responded that they would send replacements. They kept their word and I received nice healthy replacements this week. Good communication and followup. I will order again.

Posted on August 14, 2012, updated June 4, 2013
I'm not posting about a specific order but my overall experience. I have placed quite a few orders the last few years, both large and small and it has been nothing but a positive experience. I love the new coco pots. Do I miss the smaller plants that were priced in threes for the most part, yes. However, all the plants that I have ordered since they changed packaging and pricing structure have been far more robust then when they came in threes, plus they are still small enough and priced competitively that I'm still able to plant a whole bed at a time and not go broke. I just recently did five different shade gardens with plants purchased from several orders this past spring. All are doing fabulous even though we had the hottest July on record and abnormally dry conditions. I'm lucky enough to live in one of the parts of Indiana that hasn't been experiencing the extreme drought conditions. I hope this company thrives and lives just as well as the plants they sell! Thank you!

I have been ordering from Bluestone for many years and have always been very well pleased with my orders. Will continue to do so in the future.

I have been ordering from Bluestone since 2009 and I have to admit that last year I was a bit disappointed with the size of the plants. All but 2 made it through the winter. I placed another order this year for some perennials I could not find locally and they arrived today. I was extremely happy. I ordered 16 plants and all 16 arrived in excellent condition. I think they were the largest plants I have ever received from Bluestone and everything looked healthy. I thankfully got all of them planted before the rain came and I look forward to them blooming later in the summer. I was so impressed by the high quality of Bluestones plants this year that I am placing another order tonight. Thank you Bluestone!

Ordered perennials this year. Bigger pots, which I like,and the plants look great. The achillea are huge. Like the fiber pots as I can put them straight in the ground. Have ordered from them before and will continue to do so. I've never had a problem with a plant from them.

I purchased several perennials. They were planted in coir pots that could just be planted, pot and all. The packaging was corrugated. Not a plastic pot or styrofoam packing peanut i sight. Thanks so much, Bluestone, for your environmentally sound materials.

Posted on November 26, 2001, updated May 7, 2013
Plants are rather small, but very vigorous growers, and great prices. Nice selection of perennial plants.

I needed many plants this year, ordered from Totally Tomato, Bluestone perennials, NH hostas, American Meadows, Classy Groundcovers, & Dans Dahlias. I will comment on each site as the orders come in.
My largest order, I ordered 56 perennials in 2 orders from bluestone.(first time ordering with Bluestone)
start with I found their website and catalog to be better than average. packaging is outstanding, some plants did dry a bit in the 3 Days shipping, coco pots i find a plus, plants for the most part came in good condition, my Pulmonaria i need to keep an eye on right now (transplant shock maybe?). orders over $75 you receive a free plant but this can be missed on their website and they will not inform you that you missed it. after missing it the first order i e-mailed about this and a quick responds and my free plant was in the order, some time later i put in a second order
and watched to where i put in for the free plant. ordered the plant
but i didnt feel it recorded on the website and when the order came in i found that to be true. i found this to be minor and didnt bother bluestone about it but it may be an issue with others at Dave's garden.
all in all a good experience with Bluestone.

I've had 2 seasons and over 50 plants now from Bluestone, and my experiences have all been positive. In fact, I have come to prefer them over any other online vendor. The coco pots are genius, especially for some of the more fragile perennials. For the first time, I was able to successfully grow lupines and delphiniums - and they came back this spring in zone 6. I planted several perennials in the fall, and they too returned. Customer service is excellent - friendly, prompt and helpful. I wanted to add some plants to my order after placing it and although it was too late, they offered to send me the plants with no extra shipping costs. Selection is also excellent. I highly recommend.

I ordered 18 plants. They all arrived healthy and well rooted. Their pots are larger and deeper that standard. I highly recommend this company.

I ordered three plants: 1 Clematis & 2 Hydrangias. They arrived healthy & well-packed. The pots might have been a bit small (maybe 3" size) but each plant was tall & had strong stems. I liked that the pots were obviously bio-degradable - I can plant the pot & all - a nice touch. They have a beautiful catalogue which is a little confusing to use at first, but the plants that arrived matched the healthy look of their pictures. One additional note: the clematis I ordered is one for which I had been searching for over 15 years! The costs were reasonable. I will buy from them again & recommend this nursery to others.

I recently purchased a number of perennials from Bluestone Perennials. The plants received were meticulously packed with excellent usage of green materials. The coco pots are not only green + functional but they ensure the consumer never receives rootbound plants from Bluestone as the Coco pots are so highly biodegradeable that the likelihood they will last for any appreciable amount of time is almost impossible. Having a fairly new property, the time savings in being able to simply dig a small hole and plant - pot and all is a real consumer pleaser. I give Bluestone Perennials two enthusiastic thumbs up. Everything about the company oozes quality! Gary from Lewes, Delaware

I am giving them a positive review because:
1. Plants came in ahead of schedule.
2. Plants were in great shape.
3. Potting was excellent with the new packaging they use.

The only thing that could have been better was the size of the plants. There was lots of headspace in the boxes so I was thinking the plants would have had plenty of room to be bigger. That being said, I realize that it is April and the plants have not had that much time to mature.

All in all a great mail order experience and would order from them anytime.

Posted on June 3, 2008, updated March 24, 2013
I have ordered from this company three times now. I have always been satisfied with their plants. They've all grown well and most have bloomed the first year. None of their plants have ever died on me either, except for the one that the cute little chipmunk chewed off. Oh well!!! This is good company. I will certainly order from them again.

I have ordered from Bluestone Perennials since 2008. I would estimate that a third of their plants would die, especially those from the 3 packs. I quit ordering for a year because of my disappointment. But I went back to them in 2012 due to the new coconut pots. Just in case, I ordered sale items in order to keep the price lower. By the end of the summer everything I had ordered in 2012 was still alive! That was never my experience with Bluestone in previous years. I can't wait to see if the 2012 plants made it through the winter and if they will thrive in 2013. In any case, I placed another order last week. If you gave up on Bluestone, try again.

Posted on February 4, 2012, updated October 20, 2012
Just made an order of 6 Hardy Sugar Cane. Pricing was exceptional! $7.50 per plant with the 3+ discount. This is the first order I have placed with them so I dont know what the pricing was last year. Considering that the other company offering them is Plant Delights Nursery- they are selling for $20.00 a plant! They are both highly recommened so for me it was a no brainer. With shipping my order was $55.00 vs. $120.00 from Plant Delights. Will post updates with my order.

I found Bluestone last year only because of also finding Dave's Garden. Many people had great things to say about Bluestone. I ordered some plants last year and they were great. I am writing today because I ordered some end of season specials this fall. In just two days these 5 lovely plants were on my doorstep. Nice plants and fantastic service. They also have a wonderful selection of plants. I will definitely buy plants from them in the future.

I ordered from them a few years ago and was happy with the quality of the plants. I ordered some hens and chicks, bulbs and oriental poppies. I moved and had to leave the plants behind. Since I moved, I've been ordering from a few companies this spring and fall to stock my new place. I commend this company for their awesome shipping/FedEx notification policies and the great plant material I received. I ordered from the other companies before I placed my 2 orders with Bluestone this fall and I am still waiting for the other companies shipments. I called the other companies and they tell me they cannot even give me an estimate for delivery. It's a little hard to plan planting without any info. The Bluestone material is already planted and looks ready to take off. These guys are the best I've seen in years, that is why I am taking the time to recommend them.

Posted on June 7, 2009, updated October 1, 2012
I have been using this company for several years now and am quite happy with them. Once in a while in the order a plant may arrive in bad shape and all you have to do is call and it is quickly replaced no questions asked. Yes, the plant arrives smaller then most of the other mail orders, but they mature to beautiful plants. Sometimes something you order may not thrive, but that is more because of the zone, the soil or something else not pertaining to Bluestone.

Posted on September 26, 2012, updated September 26, 2012
Posted on October 26, 2007, updated September 26, 2012
One of the very BEST internet garden sites I have ever dealt with... great plants with excellent packaging. Customer service goes the extra mile in working with you if there is any problem with any of the plants. They deserve to be in the top tier!

This company is fantastic. I ordered from their winter sales (you get cheaper plants, they get money in the winter, a win-win) several times last winter & all orders were combined with combined shipping charges & shipped together in the spring. I ordered close to 100 plants. The office staff is extraordinarily helpful & friendly. With so many plants there were a very few problems which were solved instantly. Their packing is wonderful, the plants were healthy. I had heard from others not to plant compostable pots because the plants got root bound before the pot decomposed. Not these pots - the coconut fibers allow the roots to grow out through it. Now in fall, all the plants are still doing beautifully. Also, I had never ordered plants by mail before & I love it! Cheaper plants and you eliminate most of the impulse buying which is so tempting in a nursery. I give Bluestone 5 out of 5 stars!

Posted on June 29, 2012, updated September 3, 2012
Posted on June 9, 2012, updated June 29, 2012
Posted on June 5, 2012, updated June 9, 2012
After seeing Bluestone reviewed here multiple times, I decided to place a "test order". Due to the large selection and the end of season sale, my little test order grew! After submitting my initial order of 47 plants, I realized that I had omitted 9 evergreens. I emailed Bluestone and they updated my order (thank you, Pat, you're fantastic!!!). I received my 56 plants yesterday - some traveled well, some arrived dry and wilted, and one is basically DOA. I have emailed Bluestone and I am comfortable that they will address the DOA Callicarpa. Although I did not receive a shipping notification (fortunately I was home when the boxes arrived) and despite the fact that a few of the plants are rather bedraggled (plus the issue with the Callicarpa), I am giving them a positive review as

- customer service is fantastic (again, thank you, Pat!!)
- the plants were shipped securely (great inserts)
- my order arrived in a timely manner
- they have a wonderful selection and, with the sale prices, everything is attractively priced
- every plant is good-sized, well-branched with full root systems
- I believe that they will respond to my email.

At this point, I would definitely order again.

I just received an order of several fine, healthy plants. As usual it was extremely well packaged and the plants arrived in excellent shape. Among them was a replacement for a plant that arrived in next-to-dead condition. Although the damage appeared to be the result of negligence by the shipping service, Bluestone replaced it for free.
Since I tend to order on a sporadic basis, I like that they combine orders so that the plants arrive in a single lot at the appropriate planting time.

Posted on July 17, 2012, updated July 21, 2012
placed a large order,recieved damp pots with soft mushy leaves.Husband planted them,none grew even with babying them.Not wanting to admit defeat Ilet them struggle with fertilizer.and water.I lost my packing slip;by this time hubby was very upset.I sent Emailexplaing situationand saidI would be willing to buy from them again if they could check my order recordand offer a csecond chance discount. Of course no response.All I wanted was to let them know half dead plants in wet pots wrapped in plastic do not grow;at least free shipping?

"On Jul 18, 2012 9:04 AM, Bluestone Perennials responded with:

Could you please give us a call at your earliest convenience? We reply to every email we receive, and would have offered you a reshipment or a refund without question. I am puzzled - Our plants are not wrapped in plastic (with the exception of a 3/4" removable band at the top of the coconut fiber pot) and they are shipped in a cardboard carrier (again, no plastic). Is it possible they came from another nursery? Let's get to the bottom of this. Call 800-852-5243 or email me directly helpdesk@bluestoneperennials.com We look forward to hearing from you and resolving the situation.
"

I have ordered from Bluestone the past 2 years. I love their selection and quality of information on their website. I am new to gardening and don't really like the coco pots, but my experience could very well be a product of my inexperience--ended up removing the majority of them from the pots because they seemed to get dry so fast, when I did everything did much better.

love the coco pots, wish everyone used them - plants i receive from here always do well

I have bought from Bluestone for years and my most recent order was this spring. Prices have gone up but the quality is still good and customer support excellent.

I ordered a large number of perennials from this site to begin a garden at a new house. All of them arrived in beautiful condition. The selection was excellent. I'm not sure I've seen so many varieties of capanulas anywhere else. I was so grateful that all of the plants were in grow pots and that there were NO packing peanuts. The packaging all recycled beautifully.